Eyes of Green, Innocent Hearts
by MarielleAine
Summary: A prophecy is given concerning the fate of the world, and unborn child, and two embarassed teenagers.
1. Default Chapter

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Eyes of Green, Innocent Hearts

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AN: This idea came to me quite suddenly a while ago, although I've found it's not original enough. I was almost finished this part of my story when I came across Arios' "An Ideal Match". Though several things are similar, it is purely coincidental. This story is going to be split into three different sections. Updates will vary with my convenience/writers block. I do appreciate comments.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

~Prophecy~

Panting. 

He was panting and sweating all while his heart raced; his mind full of painful thoughts. He thrashed around in his bed. Through his sleep eerie old thoughts came upon him. Flashes of conversation swept across his mind from over a year ago. 

"_AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NIETHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES…_."

A tremble at the sound of the booming prophecy, which stood imprinted on his brain forever. He recalled his own young, scared voice. 

__

"So," said Harry, dredging up the words from what felt like a deep well of despair inside him, "so does that mean that… that one of us has got to kill the other one… in the end?"

The end. That's all he thought about now. The end, he'd known for a while now when that would be. He didn't tell Dumbledore that he'd figured it out, nor the others. This was a torment that was somewhat ritual for him. Nightly he pieced it together again and again. 

__

"While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood dwells, there you cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort"

The Dursley's. _Home._

_"You need return there only once a year, but as long as you can still call it home, there he cannot hurt you."_

But he wouldn't return there yet again. No, not this time. He'd always known that after Hogwarts he would leave them; he had never before comprehended just why he had to stay there in the first place. The Dursley's had gotten used to the idea too. What, did he really expect them to keep him hidden there in that old little bedroom on 4 Privet Drive forever? Stuck in the house all the time like… 

Harry stifled a sob. No, he knew. They knew. Everyone knew that he was never expected to return to Privet Drive after his 7th year at Hogwarts. He wouldn't have a place anymore, he knew. Legally, he would be an adult and the Dursley's would be free. It would be bliss for them, he knew. Free from his freakish nature. 

So naturally, being a clever boy, he'd known for some time now. He was sure, just like all the other battles had happened. Voldemort would strike at the end of his 7th year at Hogwarts. This year. He would have had to leave Hogwarts, and he wouldn't be able to return to Privet Drive. No matter how people tried to protect him it was eventually going to happen anyway. He'd figured it out—this was the opportune time for Voldemort. 

Of course he'd known since soon after his conversation with Dumbledore. It had struck him hard one night, lying on his bed in number four…. But he hadn't told anyone. And he carried it through the following year. He'd kept his secret a whole year, he knew he'd have to face it some time. He knew that, in the end, he was going to have to face him. One of them had to die. And… it was likely that it could be Harry. Very likely indeed. 

Was this where it would end? Would it end with the collapse of a frail seventeen-year-old? The last of the Potters forever now. Forever now… he was the last… 

Visions of his parents in the Mirror of Erised flooded his mind; he was their only one. How could he let the legacy end?! A sick feeling overcame him as he pulled back the curtains of his bed and retched onto the floor below.

~

"Oh, _sick_!" was the first thing Harry heard the next morning, followed by a murmur of "what?" and bounding footsteps near his bedside. 

He squinted his eyes open to four figures all hovering around him. "What? _Blimey_, why are you all staring at me?" Harry asked, annoyed.

"Did you throw up, Harry?" Neville asked quietly, keeping his eyes from Harry's. Since their battle in the Ministry of Magic he'd become quite mature, although still a bit apprehensive in all he did. 

Harry, who was now propped up on his elbows, bent over to see the floor. Sure enough, just by Seamus' feet was a pile of chunky orange substance. Groaning and remembering his turmoil-filled night, Harry's hands went up to smooth out his face, causing his head to fall back on the pillow again.

"Don't worry about it, Neville. I'm not sick." He replied through his hands. "Just go on, all of you. Leave me alone." 

He heard the retreating footsteps of three and looked up to see Ron still there with a frown his face. 

"Harry, you know you can talk to me." Was all he said, before turning back to his own trunk. Harry stayed on his bed for a few more minutes, thoroughly exhausted. And it had to be a Wednesday too. 

"I'll meet you in the Great Hall, Harry." Came Ron's resigned voice once again and then the sound of the door closing behind him. 

Grudgingly, Harry got up, his foot almost landing in his vomit. Grabbing his wand, he muttered a vanishing spell and continued to dress himself. 

In the Great Hall, food wasn't looking too appetizing. The fact that he'd seen his dinner recently was not something that increased his appetite in the least. 

Across from him, Ron and Hermione were quiet; Ron stuffing his face and Hermione with her nose buried in the Daily Prophet. Then Ginny plopped herself down next to Harry and heaved a sigh.

"I did not want to wake up this morning." She spoke.

"Join the club." Harry muttered. She gave him a slightly hurt look before placing fruits upon her plate. 

"Anyway, we should have a break in the middle of the week. Don't you think?" she asked Ron. "A nice Wednesday break." She smiled to herself and brought and apple to her cherry-coloured lips. 

Harry just nodded next to her, not wanting her to feel as though he were mad at her at all. Her hurt look had been enough to make him feel guilty for all of the people on which he'd taken out his bad mood. Namely all the 7th year Gryffindor boys, a couple of lingering 2nd and 3rd years who had been in the common room on his way down, and Nearly-Headless Nick. 

He eyed her silently as she continued the conversation with Ron, who seemed to think he could actually do with a week break once a month, not including holidays. Ginny was laughing and talking animatedly, waving her arms around in an unspoken sign language, and nearly tipping over the butter. 

"Careful, Ginny," He smiled. "Wouldn't want to stick your elbow in the butter dish, would you… now?" He resisted the urge to tack 'love' on the end of it, finally stuffing a biscuit in his mouth. 

Ginny stopped what she was doing and blushed, knife in hand. Slowly she brought the knife away from the butter and her slender fingers released it with a clank on the table. 

"Oh, Harry, " she said, clasping her hands together and turning to him with an amused smile playing on her lips. "You know I only do that when devastatingly handsome boys-"

She was interrupted by a gasp of horror coming from where Hermione seemed to be sitting, the Prophet disguising her face. She pulled it down. 

"More muggle killings." Was all she said before turning back to the paper, pretending to be engrossed. It was well known now that Hermione didn't want to actually discuss the muggle killings. During their sixth year her parents had been targeted, undoubtedly because Lord Voldemort knew of her own connection to Harry. They had not died but had narrowly escaped and were now in Secret-Keeper hiding, the Secret-Keeper being Dumbledore himself. Hermione had run to him with such the favor, having the utmost confidence in him, and he'd agreed.

Ron uneasily slid closer to her and slid his arm around her waist for a quick squeeze; his retreating arm was caught by Hermione's hand. She gave him a look of thanks and squeezed his hand in turn, placing it on her own knee. Ron blushed furiously but didn't move his hand. Ginny raised an eyebrow, not seeing why he hadn't scooted back to his original place at the table yet, but sensing something was going on. 

"Well, Harry, I've quite the morning, you know. Three days in and I'm already stressed! I've got double potions, and the dungeon gives me the creeps. I think Luna may be sick, I don't see her anywhere and we have been walking down together. Would you mind walking me down?" She pleaded, standing. 

Nodding, he stood as well. Memories from the night were the furthest thing from his mind as he watched Ginny smile and pick up a bag of books. 

"I'll see you in Charms." He called back to Ron and Hermione. She was reading again and he was eating with only his right hand, but they had not moved apart. 

On the way to the dungeon Harry watched Ginny's swift movements through the corridors. The small light that came down through high windows illuminated her beautifully pale creamy skin. Her red hair, parted at the side, hung over her face, as it was bent down slightly, concentration obviously at work in her mind.

"It's so cold down here, so dank. I can't think of a place I like less in the castle than the dungeon." She said, breaking the comfortable silence that had formed as Harry had studied her. 

"I feel the same, though for different reasons." He said, stopping at the door to the Potions classroom where Snape was now entering. Harry's eyes narrowed, but eased as he felt a hand on his arm. 

Ginny'd stopped too, her robes swishing at the movement. 

"Thanks, Harry." She smiled. "It means a lot to me that you walk me here, I would much rather be in company of someone than by myself." Then her grin turned into a devilish smile, though innocence still reigned in her eyes. "Especially if that company is as _devastatingly_ _handsome_ as _Harry Potter_." She leaned up in a swift mock fan-girl motion and kissed him firmly on the cheek. Then her feet were back to the floor; she gave a soft "ohhh." And her hands flew to her heart. Then, without words she had the grin on her face again and was walking towards the door.

"Bye, Harry. Thanks again." She called after herself. Harry stood in place, blushing furiously, and watched her retreating back. 

"Bye." He smiled and said, almost to himself, before turning back up the stairs towards Professor Flitwick's classroom, hand on cheek. Ginny, he thought, amazed him in ways he could not put to words.

~

Faculty meetings were a rare occurrence for the Professors at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but when they came they were boring nonetheless. No one, it seemed, enjoyed them except for Mr. Filch. 

It was here that he was allowed give his input on the running of the school and offer several new rules to the teachers. On most occasions, his requests were denied but there was always that one time when, in desperation, the teachers would give in. 

Most Professors would rather be grading schoolwork than be here, for at least the first half hour of the meeting was dedicated to boring rubbish that, in the grand scheme of things, didn't really matter and was petty. Dumbledore himself did not seem to enjoy this part of the meeting, but towards the end his eyes would sparkle with excitement as he'd start cracking subtle jokes and offering a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean around the table. His smile would brighten if someone got stuck with one of the less desirable ones, and he'd laugh, patting on the back and causing them to spit it up. Now, however, they were not to that portion of the meeting but the rubbish of a beginning. 

Professor Trelawney silently closed the door behind her and turned to face a room full of professors. She nodded and apology to Dumbledore before sitting between Professors Snape and McGonagall.

"So glad you and your Inner Eye decided to grace us with your presence." Snape snapped maliciously from next to her.

"Now, now, Severus. Shall we be civil to our fellow teachers?" Dumbledore said sternly and then turned to face the rest of the teachers. He began talking about typical things, school maintenance and the like. Most weren't paying attention at all, their minds wandering. 

"All in favor of changing the time in which students are to be back to their dormitories to 7 P.M.?" He was asking. Snape solely raised his hand. 

"Sorry, Mr. Filch." Dumbledore nodded to the man who stood in the corner with a bitter look on his face. 

"Next on the agenda—"

He didn't finish his sentence, for Professor Trelawney had risen to her feet, a dazed look magnified through her large glasses. 

"Sibyll?" He questioned and the look of confusion that had spread across his face transformed into that of realisation.

She began to speak in a voice very unlike her own soft one; it was loud and harsh. 

"_A NEW ERA ARRIVES **ONLY** WITH THE BIRTH OF ANOTHER… CHILD OF LEGENDARY RAVEN, POSSESSOR OF THE POWER, AND FIERY APRICOT, ONCE AS A TOOL… **ONLY **WHEN THEIR LOVE ABOUNDS IN THE CHILD WILL THE DARK LORD CEASE… ON AN EVE BEFORE THE DAWN OF THE SEVENTH MONTH OR ELSE RAVEN WILL DIE AND WITH HIM ALL HOPE…"_

Clearly exhausted, she sank into the chair with that same expression on her face, muttering "born of young… born of young…" softly before quieting altogether. 

A disturbed silence spread over the room for the course of several minutes before Professor Sprout looked timidly at Professor Dumbledore.

"What does it mean?" she asked him. "Someone from Ravenclaw perhaps…?" 

"Of course they're not from Ravenclaw." Muttered Snape.

Dumbledore's previous jovial attitude had disappeared and was replaced by a much more serious one. 

"This meeting is dismissed. Severus, Minerva, Sibyll, could you stay a moment?" All nodded save Trelawney, who still sat limp in her chair. 

The room was filled with the shuffle of chairs and feet through the door and finally the four were left alone.

"You do know what this means, don't you?" Professor Dumbledore asked them seriously. 

"What_ what _means?" Professor Trelawney asked, waking slightly from her daze. 

With a flick of Dumbledore's wrist she was snoring softly in the chair. 

"Potter." Snape muttered. Sadly, Dumbledore nodded his head. 

"He possesses the power… like the older prophecy said… I'm assuming that the raven was in regards to his hair." Professor McGonagall said. 

"Fiery Apricot." Snape pondered to himself. "Must refer to hair as well. Well there's Susan Bones…"

"I think that the 'used as a tool' portion was a better clue to who this mother is suppose to be." Dumbledore said, raising his eyebrow. 

"Ginny Weasley?" questioned Professor McGonagall, the look of shock still present in her face. 

Dumbledore nodded grimly. 

"Our lives are in the hands of two teenagers who are too embarrassed to even think of being together?" Snape voiced. 

He had spoken what was truly on everyone's minds. 

"Minerva, could you fetch the pair of them for me?" she nodded. He turned to Snape. "And could you bring the Weasleys to me as quickly as possible?" He nodded as well, leaving immediately. Dumbledore turned to Trelawney.

"Ah, Sibyll, let's put you in the hospital wing." And soon she was floating through the air behind him, still sleeping soundly. 

~

Harry laughed slightly. "What is this, Dumbledore?" he asked, surveying the room. He was seated in front of Dumbledore's desk; Ginny was sitting to his right. Professor Snape, McGonagall, and Molly and Arthur Weasley were standing around them; their eyes alight with concern.

He and Ginny had both been at Quidditch practice when Professor McGonagall had come running for them. They'd been in the air, unaware of her furiously waving her arms at them from below and it had taken her a good 15 minutes to get their attention.

Dumbledore had taken that time to explain to the Weasley's what they had just witnessed. Molly'd fallen back into her husband's arms with shock. 

Harry's eyes were determined. Ginny gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm and smile, before turning her own concerned eyes to the bearded man before her. 

"While we were having a faculty meeting Professor Trelawney burst out with some unexpected news." Dumbledore began. 

Harry knew the woman as a fraud in the Divination respect. However, on more than one occasion he'd seen a true side of her seeing abilities, so Harry did not doubt that something she had said could very well indeed be taken seriously. His mouth tightened as his nodded, signaling Dumbledore to continue. 

The man pulled out a bowl of sorts that Harry recognised immediately as the Pensieve. He poked at the substance that filled it and an image of Professor Trelawney from what looked like earlier that day appeared. Her voice boomed:

"_A NEW ERA ARRIVES **ONLY** WITH THE BIRTH OF ANOTHER… CHILD OF LEGENDARY RAVEN, POSSESSOR OF THE POWER, AND FIERY APRICOT, ONCE AS A TOOL… ONLY WHEN THEIR LOVE ABOUNDS IN THE CHILD WILL THE DARK LORD CEASE… ON AN EVE BEFORE THE DAWN OF THE SEVENTH MONTH OR ELSE RAVEN WILL DIE AND WITH HIM ALL HOPE…"_

Harry opened his mouth but found that he was at a loss of words, Ginny stirred beside him. 

"Does that mean what I think it means?" she asked Dumbledore. 

"Ginny," he began gently. "I know this is hard to take in. You are, after all, 16-years-old. It seems though, that you're…" He trailed off and saw the expression on Harry's face. "You're supposed to bring about great things… or, a great person." 

Her lip trembled. "I'm just a kid, though. This is insane. I shouldn't be faced with this!" Tears were slowly making their way down her face. Molly was at her side in a moment, holding her daughter. She too had tears of her own. When they'd arrived and she'd heard what Dumbledore was saying her first instinct was to fight him on this, if it were the only thing she'd ever fight him on. But now she'd _seen_ the prophecy for herself, and couldn't deny its realism. 

"Ginny, I know this is hard." She said, smoothing out the back of her sweater, wishing she could console her more. Ginny stole a horrified look at Harry. 

"Ginny, I…" he began awkwardly, scratching his head and looking down at his feet. He resisted a quiet urge to tell her that he had faced very much throughout these past 6 years. 

"So what do we do?" Molly asked, looking back up at Dumbledore from her place beside her daughter. 

"I'm not going to force you to do this Ginny, but realise what it means if you don't…" he started. "No, I don't want to place a guilt trip on you but… the world…" Dumbledore seemed to be losing his grip on words the same as Harry. 

Sniffing, she raised her head high. With a very distinctive blush she began, "I know what this means, I know what I have to do." And nodded slightly. Dumbledore's eyes fell upon Harry and his still open mouth. 

"I…" he began. "Of course I know too, I'll do whatever is needed to win this war." Ginny cringed at hearing him describe it that way. 

"Right then… It's the 3rd…" Dumbledore started before being interrupted again. 

"But!" Harry said with much emotion, placing his hand upon Ginny's. A great sense of courage suddenly forced its way through his body. "I want you to know I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been falling in love with Ginny Weasley for quite some time!" He cried to all occupants of the room. 

A startled look appeared upon the girl's face. She smiled gratefully through her tears to no one in particular. 

Molly and Arthur threw knowing smiles in the others direction. Ginny'd fawned over Harry for a good 3 years at least before giving up on him. Molly knew better though, she knew Ginny still harbored deep-rooted feelings for the boy.

Dumbledore smiled again. "Right, then, as I said today is this 3rd. Would it be in everyone's best interest to have a small wedding ceremony on the night of the 5th? We're going to do this right, you know." Dumbledore smiled. "If anyone else is doing the math, the dawn of the seventh month… or the beginning of July, is a little less than 10 months away and you know a child takes 9 months to fully prepare…" There was a smile twitching at his mouth. 

Harry and Ginny blushed profusely but entwined their hands nonetheless. They were in this together, until the end. 

~ 

It had taken a great deal of explaining on Harry, Ginny, Molly, Arthur, and even Dumbledore's parts to tell Ron and Hermione just why their two best friends (sister, in one case) were supposed to be married. It had shocked them to the point where Dumbledore had shown them the prophecy for themselves. That had finally quieted their questions. 

The night of the 5th, just after dinner had commenced in the Great Hall, they were to meet in the Gryffindor common room. For that part of the night the Fat Lady had a new password that only those who knew about the ceremony would be able to repeat. The students were being distracted by a speech Dumbledore had requested Firenze make. Most students were captivated by him as it was. 

Dumbledore approached Harry from across the room. He, Harry, was wearing black pants and a white shirt beneath his fanciest robes. Without words Dumbledore placed something small but heavy into the palm of his hand. Harry opened them and found a delicate white gold engagement ring and beside it the actual wedding band. 

"It was your mothers." Dumbledore gave him a gentle smile. "Ginny has your fathers. Hagrid returned them to me when we met just after their deaths."

Harry nodded, silent tears making their way down his face. If his parents could see him now he didn't know what they would be thinking. Proud, he supposed, or worried, or even shocked. Maybe all three. 

Hermione appeared down the stairs in a pale pink dress looking flustered. Her hair was twisted back eloquently with a few haphazard strands falling out of place. She bounded over to where he and Dumbledore stood.

"Ginny's quite nervous, I'll tell you that." She looked pointedly at Harry. _Of course _she was nervous. Harry himself felt as though he would throw up at any moment, how this had been sprung on them so. Hermione's head snapped in the direction of the stairs, a look of relief upon her face.

"Ah, here she comes." She said. Molly Weasley was walking down the stairs followed by a blushing Ginny. 

She wore a white dress that looked more like a summer dress than a wedding dress. It was beautiful all the same though. The skirt was made of tulle and puffed out slightly, the sleeves were short and sheer, the stomach of it was flat with a ribbon tying around just under her bust, and the neck was square. Her red hair was parted to the side and curled, a crown of white flowers adorned her head. 

Molly Weasley looked right proud. Several red heads swarmed the girl. Bill, Charlie, Percy (having apologized profusely to his family), Fred, and George had all apparated to Hogsmeade earlier that day and had walked in together. 

Bill and Charlie hugged their younger sister. 

"You look stunning, Gin." Bill winked and Charlie gave a hearty laugh, pride overcome in his eyes. 

Percy eyed her for a minute before giving her a slightly awkward hug and patting down on her hair. 

"Make the family proud, Ginny." He said, the glimmer of a tear in his eye.

Fred and George were upon her in an instant. 

" 'S not going to be the same, Ginny." Fred sighed, his arm around her shoulders. 

"We love you, kid." George patted her hair and winked. 

Finally Ginny turned to the only brother left. Ron was looking forlorn and red in the eyes. He considered himself to be closest to Ginny of all his siblings.

He hugged her and kissed her forehead. 

"Gin, I love you, ok?" he said. She nodded and smiled. Ron laughed, "You know he's my best mate and I trust him with anything, even you. He's probably the only guy I'd trust with you." She smiled and nodded again through her own teary eyes. 

"You're part of something big, Gin. You'll be in all the history books." He whispered to her, chuckling slightly, before pushing her on to her parents. Ginny's heart gave way at her brother's words and tears came tumbling down her cheeks.

"Oh, _Ginny_!" Cried Molly, a handkerchief in her hand. "I didn't think this day would come for a long time and now… look at you… about to save the world." Tears began to splatter down her cheeks as she let out a sob.

Everyone present took seats; they were in a circle surrounding where Dumbledore and a very nervous Harry stood. Hagrid winked at him and gave him thumbs up. 

Ginny grasped her father's hand as he brought her to the middle of the room to Dumbledore. He released her sweaty palm and hugged her so hard she though she'd burst with emotion. 

"I love you, Virginia." He smiled, kissing her forehead. Then, with one swift movement he placed her hands into Harry's and sat down next to his wife. 

Ginny looked determinedly into Harry's eyes and nodded to him at seeing his own forlorn look. Dumbledore placed a hand on each of their shoulders. 

"Virginia Agatha Weasley" He began, and then turned to Harry. His eyes glimmered merrily and sadly at the same time, if that was at all possible. "Harry James Potter" his strong voice said.

The ceremony was short; it had gone nothing like Harry had seen in various movies. There was something unusual but spectacularly magical about it that was just his and Ginny's. When all the words had been spoken, nearly everyone in the room was crying. They'd been heartfelt and personal to those in question. Ginny looked to the ground and blushed, realising that this was where they kissed and yet they never had before. Before she even had a chance to look up again, Harry'd taken her chin into his hand and tilted her head up. He took a deep breath and searched her eyes before closing his own and placing his lips on Ginny's firmly. 

"You'll never know just how much you two remind me of your parents." Dumbledore whispered proudly as he glanced at Harry. 

~

One of the northeastern towers, which, until now, had been uninhabited, had been prepared for their living. Trunks had been moved up and a queen sized bed as well. It was adorned with Gryffindor coloured curtains. A small door to the right of the bed led a long pathway to the Gryffindor common room. They were, after all, still Gryffindors. The walls were blank and ready for decorating. 

Ginny stared into the room, taking it all in. She was still in her dress and Harry stood awkwardly to her side, wearing his robes. Ginny turned to him, blushing and suddenly realised why they were there. She grasped the pink bottle of potion, which Dumbledore had given her minutes after the ceremony. Fertility potion. A sip every night… 

As Harry walked to take a seat on the bed Ginny took a quick sip and blushed again (if only to herself) before following him and sitting down beside him. 

"Ginny, I know this isn't how you'd imagined your wedding night. I'm sorry…" He muttered, his face in his hands. 

She grinned slightly; taking his hands, and blushed. 

"I've got to get over this blushing!" she said. "We're married, after all…. And Harry…" she started, biting her lip. 

"I always imagined my wedding to be with you. Since your first year anyway." 

He smiled at the hand in his, noticing the glimmer of his mother's ring. 

"I do love you Ginny…" he started and then leaned down to kiss her softy. She closed her eyes and accepted it with bliss.

"And I have the utmost respect for you." He kissed her again, more firmly on the mouth. "You're the most beautiful blushing bride I've ever set my eyes upon." The kisses continued and she laughed into his mouth. He pulled back, amused. 

Her eyelashes fluttered as his fingers ran their way through her red hair and she giggled. 

"That tickles!" she cried, he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, but I love it." She reassured him, the same funny-teasing smile on her face. 

And with that he attacked her sides with tickles, she fell back and screamed with laughter as he caught her foot—her most sensitive ticklish spot. 

"Harry!" she cried out through her giggles. She lay there staring up at him as he tickled her sides once again. The giggles died down as he stopped, staring at her through adoring eyes, but the smile stayed there. 

And suddenly, she was reaching up and pulling his face down to meet hers. They stared at each other once more, both breathing heavily. Harry's eyes twitched with nervousness as he gulped, and then kissed her soundly on the lips. 

The night followed through as a typical wedding night would, sparing the details, as that is the private business of Harry and Virginia Potter.

When Ginny woke the next morning though, she was snuggled in his arms and his breath caught her bare shoulder gently. She pulled up the strap of her slip and rolled around to watch his sleeping face. There was a boyish charm about him. His hair stuck up from all sides, but of course it always did that. His face looked innocent without his glasses on. She was quite in love with her husband. 

She giggled at the thought. Her _husband_. 

~

Of course, all of Gryffindor tower was in an uproar about the sudden disappearance of their friends and their respective trunks. 

"What could they have done to be booted out so fast?!" cried Abigail Crimsley, a 5th year Chaser on their house Quidditch team. What would they do without their talented Captain/Seeker and fellow Chaser?

Complaints had been thrown at McGonagall in defense of their friends.

Colin Creevey could be heard venting as he walked down to breakfast that morning. "Harry's saved us all on many occasions with no regard for the rules, what could he have done now to cause them to kick him out? Dumbledore no less!" 

"Put a pipe in it!" Ron, overhearing, had stormed. 

Colin looked taken aback. "Your best mate and your sister! Don't you want justice?" 

But it had been Hermione who'd responded. "Don't go talking about things to which you know nothing about!" 

It didn't just stop there, though. They'd spread the news to the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, and no doubt the Slytherins had heard. They were found laughing joyously in the corridors. The fact that Harry and Ginny slept to late hours of the day did not help. By lunch, when they finally showed their heads in the Great Hall, the whole school knew about their moved trunks and how neither had been seen the night before. As they walked in, hand in hand, all conversation came to an abrupt halt and mouths reached the floor. 

"Harry, what's this about?" cried Dean Thomas as they sat down. Unsure of what to say, the boy gave Dumbledore a pleading look. He nodded at Harry and stood.

"Now, now, I say, quit your gawking!" His voice rose through the hall. "You've all been so worried about the welfare of these students. They have not been expelled, as you believe. Their living quarters have simply changed, and if they wish to, they may tell you why. If you choose to hear them through though, you'll find a funny kind of charm on yourself that will prevent you from revealing it or discussing it with anyone else." He nodded and sat, pleased with his speech.

In the end most people didn't like the sound of the charm, they loved gossip of all kinds, and Harry and Ginny ended up just telling Neville and Luna. Luna stared with her dreamy expression, which held more excitement than usual, at the rings that had suddenly appeared before her eyes on Ginny's left ring finger. She picked up her hand and stared at the diamonds in awe, muttering about the shell of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.

Meanwhile, September was moving on and all those involved were getting anxious. Ginny couldn't blame them, unless her child was to be premature, she'd have to have conceived by near the end of the month. Ginny, herself, was probably more worried than the lot of them together. It wasn't as if they hadn't been _trying._ Sure, Ginny knew that it took some people years to conceive, and the thought worried her, but she knew that her mother had never had to wait very long. And she had this fertility potion, which was suppose to work 100%. It was now the 19th and they had little over a week left until October began.

"What if there is something wrong with me, Harry?" She cried into his shoulder one night. "I'm so scared!" Her body was shaking in fear, and Harry had not known what to do. All he could do was hold her and rock her back and forth. The movement finally caused her to fall asleep, soft snores escaping her mouth. He looked down at her red head and sighed, stroking it and thinking to himself. What if Ginny _did_ have something wrong with her? Prophecies, he know on most occasions, were not simple to follow through with. He shuddered and closed his eyes.

~

Several nights later Harry opened his eyes he felt cold and lonely. It was then that he realised that Ginny was not within his arms. He'd grown so accustomed to holding her at night that now it just felt wrong not to have her there.

He grabbed his glasses off his bedside table and shoved them on, looking around at the room. It was still dark.

"Ginny?" he called, standing up. Then he saw the crack of light shinning for under the bathroom door.His heart felt quite relieved at the knowledge that she was within reach. He plopped back into bed, in the same position, and pretended to be asleep.He'd felt rather silly at becoming so alarmed, although he guessed he'd been through enough to have cause to be alarmed.He heard the light switch off and the door shut, and then Ginny's soft footsteps coming nearer and nearer.He felt her weight on the bed and expected her to ease her way back into his arms, though this never came. 

"Harry!" He felt her shaking him awake, and he opened his eyes abruptly, examining the gleeful expression on her face.

"Hmmm?" he asked, trying to sound sleepy.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why are you wearing your glasses in bed?" Harry opened his mouth to speak but no words came. A smirk spread across her face and she shook her head. "No matter…" she sighed, and then began to poke him consistently to keep him from falling back asleep.

"Ow!" he cried, though not really hurt. "Ginny?" He questioned oddly.

"Harry, I've missed my period 3 days in a row!" She cried out, a bright smile shining on her face. "And it's never late, always comes like clock work!" She blushed slightly.

Harry's eyebrows scrunched together and he scratched his head, his sleepy state seemed to have halted his ability to think. Then it hit him.

He stuttered. "Y-you mean, you think…?" He trailed off and she shook her head up and down, tears spring into her eyes.

"Let's go tell Dumbledore now!" He said, his eyes bright. 

"Well, it's 4:30, Harry. Can't we keep this for ourselves? Just until breakfast?" she asked with pleading eyes. 

He nodded and held out his arms for her enclose herself within. She did so, and twisted her head around to Harry's expectantly. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. They fell asleep shortly after, Harry's hand lingering on her stomach. 

~

Hermione snuggled further into the soft cushy armchair, taking in the warmth of the Gryffindor fire and pulling her book closer to her face. She had to admit that she was somewhat bookish but there was so much in this world to be taken in, and she didn't want to miss a single thing. She supposed her erudite manner could come across annoying, but she couldn't help it. 

Now, however, she was not reading for learning but pleasure instead. As a child, the story had been one of her most favorites, she'd watch the Disney version almost every day. Though it may not have seemed it at all, Hermione was a bit of a romantic at heart. 

Her thoughts came to a halt as joyous laughter rang from the entrance to the common room. There stood Ginny and Harry, arm in arm, an aura of brightness surrounding them. Ginny had only socks on her feet and carried two oversized shoes in her hands. She was looking into Harry's eyes with delight, laughing heartily with emotion caught up in her eyes. Ron followed behind the two, a huge grin spread across his face and a sort of glimmer shining in his eyes. His eyes rested upon Hermione's face and the grin only grew. 

Immediately, Hermione placed the book face down on the couch and walked out to meet the group of overjoyed students. She glanced at the book and then to Ginny's glowing face. Ron, too, glanced curiously at the book. 

"Hermione!" Ginny cried in happiness. 

"Don't tell me, don't tell me. It's happened hasn't it?" she cried out too, finally grasping the reason for the shoes. One of the older wizarding pregnancy tests, she had read, was that of "_Oedipregnacio"_. One pointed their wand at the shoes of the girl who suspected and expectance and murmured this word (pronunciation was key). If the shoes remained the same size then she was not with child, but if they'd grown then she was. The term originated from two separate words. _Oedipus _(1) meaning "swollen foot" and _Pregnancy_ in which, obviously, a child is conceived and develops. 

Ginny was already grasping Hermione tightly in a hug. They both squealed, which was rather uncharacteristic for Hermione. 

"We met Ron up on the way from seeing Dumbledore and told him." Harry explained. 

"Ginny this is wonderful!" she said, then became thoughtful. "You know, when I was in the library earlier this week I happened across a book on wizarding pregnancies. I knew I should have checked it out! Care to come take a look with me?" She smiled. 

"I'd like to see what it has to say, what mum's being carrying on about all these years…" Ginny grinned, remembering many a "when I was pregnant with ::insert child here::" story. She took Harry by the hand and followed Hermione out the door. Ron smirked at her very characteristic behavior and turned to follow when something caught his eye. 

There was that book that Hermione had forgotten about, that she hadn't wanted them to see. Glancing behind him nervously he picked it up at turned it around. 

_Sleeping Beauty._

~

Many know the story of Oedipus, the son of Laius and Jocasta, who was abandoned at birth and unwittingly killed his father and then married his mother. (Greek Mythology) 

~Sarimi Evolity


	2. Months of Mayhem

Eyes of Green, Innocent Hearts

Chapter Two: Months of Mayhem

By: MarielleAine

Author's Note: I've become so good at coming up with cheesy titles; that's what AP Composition does to a person. Um... I'm sorry about the wait. Thank you to those who didn't give up on me and thank you to Iviolinist, who has been a wonderful beta-reader.

Ginny retched silently into the toilet bowl that was inches from her face. Groaning, she slouched against the door to the loo and wiped her mouth with a nearby wash cloth. A snore from the next room prompted her to relate her vomiting to Harry and it was a strange thought indeed. An odd sort of analogy popped into her head, something that had been happening a lot lately. She was always making comparisons, overanalyzing. Vomiting, she thought, is the act of expelling something from the depths of your insides, something you usually do not want to be seen or heard. Nevertheless, it comes out and it seems there is nothing you could have done to prevent it. It reminded her of the time in her first year when she had been utterly obsessed with the famous Harry Potter and sent him a Valentine. She abhorred the idea of his knowing how she fawned over him and avoided him as such. But she couldn't deny her feelings, however immature, and she thought she'd writhe up and die if she didn't let Harry know she cared.

Shaking her head, Ginny hoisted herself to her feet and returned to her bedroom where Harry lay sleeping peacefully. A frown twitched on her face. How dare he sleep so nicely when I'm here disposing of everything I eat! she thought. Her hormonal instincts took over and she hit him over the head with a pillow.

"What was that for?" came a groan from under the pillow. Harry's eyes peaked out at her with concern.

"Oh, Harry... I'm sorry, I'm just..." she tried to find the words.

"Irritable?" he offered. She glared briefly before sighing and nodding, looking out the window to a fresh October morning. She was extra sensitive this morning because it was Gryffindor's first Quidditch match and she'd had to give up the sport.

"Gin, I'm sorry..." Harry began, but she just waved a hand at him.

"Oh, don't be. It's fine; it's just hormones-" she was saying.

"No, not that," Harry interrupted her. She stared at him quizzically. "I mean, I know how much you love Quidditch... it's not fair that you get dragged into my problems. Too bad I can't just have the baby for you... I'm the one who should suffer-" This time Ginny was the one to interrupt. She placed a finger to his lips.

"Harry," she said simply and somehow both felt a bit calmer. "It's true we were rushed into things. I wouldn't give this up, though. How fair would it be for you to go through something of this magnitude all on your own? I know I've gotten the harder part of this so far, but you don't know what's to come. Imagine _you_ trying to fend off Voldemort with a huge stomach ahead of you and a pair of swollen ankles." She smiled gently. He enveloped her in a hug and didn't let go.

Speaking into her hair, he replied somewhat teary eyed. "Gin, I wish that this hadn't happened... that things could have just happened in their own time."

"You know, I've been making all these strange comparisons lately... and I was thinking about that last night before bed when I was reading that book that Hermione checked out for me." She took a deep breath. "I think that our relationship is like a pregnancy. The moment I saw you things began to grow, and as I came to know you they just kept growing.... I think, had we continued how we were, we would have eventually gotten here, though under better circumstances. It's a bit like a premature birth, it's scary as heck at first, but now everything has settled down, just like a premature baby can turn out fine. We'll be fine, Harry," she said, arms still around his chest, willing herself not to let go. She pushed any reservations to the back of her mind. Truth be told, she was scared out of her wits that everything would end horribly. She was scared for her life, Harry's life and above all... the life of this little being within her. What if it didn't work out? What if Voldemort killed them? She shook her head and he placed a gentle kiss on her neck.

"HARRY! _You're_ the one who wanted to practice bright and early before the match and _you_ don't even show up!" bellowed Ron from outside the room, breaking the moment.

Grudgingly, Harry got up and walked to the door in his pajamas, grabbing his broom and Quidditch robes. He opened the door to a somewhat annoyed looking Ron. Ron glanced behind Harry to his sister sitting up on the bed watching them; he blushed a bit and shook his head.

"Let's get a move on, you can change in the locker room," he said. Harry turned and smiled at Ginny.

"I love you, Ginny," he said, closing the door behind him.

Later that day, Ginny sat beside Hermione in the stands watching her team. She frowned inwardly, knowing that it should have been her up there in the ring rather than Reserve Chaser Ella Marriott. She loved the rush feeling she got from the roar of the Gryffindors as she circled the pitch and finally settled into her position. Sure, they weren't just cheering for _her_, but it had felt so good.

Finally they were off and Gryffindor was having a rocky beginning. Ella hadn't had nearly enough practice; she seemed flabbergasted by Abigail Crimsley's attempt at a Reverse Pass towards her. Ginny cringed, knowing her own capabilities. She and the other Chasers were in sync with one another's every move, an unbeatable team. Ginny had gotten the cold shoulder from many a Gryffindor for quitting the team and breaking the perfection of it all. Of course, none of them knew about the little one. Ginny suppressed a small smile. _Her_ little one.

Shaking her head, she turned to the game. Determined for a come back, Ella performed an admirable Porskoff Ploy, flying upward and leading the opposing Chasers to believe she was trying to escape them in order to score and then throwing down the Quaffle to Lara Bryant (the final Chaser), who was waiting to catch it.

All of Gryffindor cheered as Lara made a goal against Hufflepuff Keeper Natalie Donovan, who frowned, but continued to circle the hoops. The Hufflepuff Chasers, seemingly not amused, regained the Quaffle and attempted a Hawkshead Attacking Formation, where the Chasers form an arrowhead pattern and fly together towards the goalposts. The usually effective and highly intimidating play failed as Ron was performing a Double Eight Loop, swerving around all three goal hoops at high speed to block the Quaffle.

The game played for another quarter of an hour before the Snitch was finally caught. It had come of great surprise to everyone who'd been watching the Seeker. One moment he'd been flying around, seemingly searching for the Snitch and had carelessly swerved, looking as though he were just trying to avoid a Bludger. Then all of the sudden he'd retrieved the little golden ball from his sleeve in triumph; this was a rare move called the Plumpton Pass.

"AND IT'S POTTER WITH THE SNITCH!" cried the commentator.

The Gryffindors were all screaming at the top of their lungs, the first years most of all. Their first game had been a victory!

Not much could be heard over their raucous cheering as Gryffindors spilled out onto the field in wild applause and admiration. One could barely hear the muffled cries of a young red-head squeezing the life out of the Seeker Hero as she, with mixed emotions of happiness as well as sadness, sobbed "You did it! You did it without me!"

Hogsmeade was a beautiful sight in the fall. The leaves on the trees were red and orange and they would fall lazily to the ground one at a time.

Hermione nuzzled the soft animal in her arms and set him down beside her feet. He rubbed against her feet before trotting away.

"I can't believe you just let that cat wander so freely. What if he gets lost?" Ron said from beside her.

"He's _not_ a cat!" Hermione said simply, unaware of the surprised looks she was receiving. They'd all expected "He's NOT going to get lost, Ronald Weasley!" or something of the sort. This was just strange.

Ginny looked at her strangely. "Not a cat?" she asked.

Hermione smiled. "No, he's half Kneazle. They're cat-like creatures that are intelligent, independent, and occasionally aggressive. They make for very loyal pets if they should come to like a wizard or witch. I happened to be reading one of our texts one day and I came across it. It was an amazing discovery."

"That part about being occasionally aggressive..." Ron was muttering. Hermione shot him a look.

"It's part of their nature to be able to detect suspicious characters," she said, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes, well, we're trying to get on better now. Aren't we, Crookshanks?" Ron asked the animal as it made its way back to them. It purred and rubbed Ron's hand.

"So, he's taken a liking to you, Ronald?" Hermione asked, a smile playing on her lips.

Harry and Ginny smirked at one another.

"We made a deal, " Ron winked. "I sat him down and said, 'Crookshanks, this feuding must end for the sake of Hermione and my friendship.' And he, smart cat that he is, gave me a look that said 'Too true, too true.'"

Hermione laughed and leaned up to kiss Ron's cheek, not really thinking about what she was doing. Both colored immensely when she jerked back and landed fully on the ground once more.

"Well, Gin. You said you wanted something out of Honeydukes?" Harry turned to his wife, breaking the silence.

"Oh, not anymore," she said, looking green at the thought. "But, mmm, I'd love some chocolate covered pickles."

The other three made faces of disgust. Ron and Hermione were happy for the distraction.

"Anyone who eats something like that cannot be related to me," Ron quipped.

"Mum did, Ronnie," Ginny smirked.

"Ah, don't call me that. Who have you become?!" he cried.

"I'm only teasing, Ronnie. Mum ate **caramel** covered pickles."

"Do you want me to throw up right here in front of the Three Broomsticks?" Ron asked, his eyes bulging slightly.

"I throw up every morning, you deserve a bit of it!" Ginny retorted.

"Children, calm yourselves, " Hermione said, a smile spread across her face.

"Hey, where did that Kneazle get off to?" Ron asked, looking around him for a patch of orange running around.

"Oh, I suspect we'll see him later at the castle," Hermione said with the wave of a hand as they entered the Three Broomsticks.

Luna and Neville waved them down to their table and the friends sat pleasantly enjoying each other's company before Madam Rosmerta came for their drink orders. She looked weary, as though she hadn't slept in a few days. She must not have, as Harry had seen a "Help Wanted" sign out front. With just herself to wait on everyone, she must have been quite stressed.

Harry smiled warmly at her and then proclaimed, feeling rather jovial, "Butterbeers all around, on me!"

Ron threw him a bit of a prideful look.

"Oh come on, my treat... Please, Ron?" Ron nodded his head as something snapped in Harry's head. "Oh! A couple of chocolate covered pickles, as well, please, " he requested. Madam Rosmerta set him with an odd look before nodding and turning away to the kitchen.

"Well this is the saddest looking group of misfits if I ever saw one," spat Draco Malfoy as he passed their table and he stopped to set a glare on Harry.

"Keep moving, Malfoy, " Ron stood, glaring down at the scrawny blond boy.

Malfoy only lifted his chin in a prideful sort of way. "One of these days..." he muttered maliciously and strode away.

Just as Malfoy had gone, Harry grabbed his head and as Ginny went to hold his hand, she felt her abdomen writhing in pain. Instinctively she cringed and grabbed herself around the middle. It was a strange sight for the other four to see and it had stopped as quickly as it had come.

Harry regained himself, shaking his head, and then looked down at Ginny. She had a hand at her heart, breathing deeply.

"That was strange..." Hermione said.

Before anything else could be said on the matter, Madam Rosmerta strode over to them.

"Ok. I have six butterbeers and two chocolate covered pickles." She sat them on the table and was gone. No one spoke for a while after that.

"One down, eight to go!" said Ginny happily as she took a seat beside Harry. The hall was decorated festively for the Halloween feast. Bats flew around just below the ceiling and small-lighted jack-o-lanterns floated silently above the students' heads.

"It'll be over in no time!" Hermione smiled, watching the bats with interest. One of them kept drooping, as though it was having trouble flying, but then would zoom back up with the rest of them.

Ginny smiled nervously. As much as she'd love to see her beautiful baby and rejoiced at the thought of her body being back to normal, she had a feeling something awful would happen first. Hermione, seeing Ginny's discomfort, furrowed her eyebrows.

"Have you given any though to.... what happened?" she said, leaning gently across the table so only Ginny could hear. Ginny shrugged her shoulders, she couldn't understand what had happened that day in the Three Broomsticks, but it hadn't happened again, and for this she was grateful. Hermione gave a noticeable frown, she'd wanted them to talk to Dumbledore, but they didn't want to bother him if it wasn't something that was frequently happening.

"Thought of any names?" a dreamy voice startled Ginny from behind. There stood Luna Lovegood. Neville was to his feet in an instant.

"If I have, I'm keeping them a secret," Ginny said, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Hi, Luna, how are you?" Neville asked with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Hello, Neville. Why, I'm just fine. We made cookies in Muggle Studies using an oven and I wanted to share them," she said, holding out a plate of orange cookies spotted with black.

All took some, but Neville was the first to take a bite. He opened his mouth to talk and a strange clucking sound left it rather than human syllables. Everyone else hid their cookies.

"Oh, I must have spilled some potion while I was making them, " she said looking distraught. "I thought I followed the recipe exactly," she continued, pulling out a crumpled paper and reading it over. She wandered back to her table and Neville sat back down, his mouth shut.

"We'll have to send him to Madam Pompfrey if it doesn't get better," Hermione said.

"I'll take him up later; she wanted to have a check up on me since it's been about a month." Ginny smiled to herself. It was quiet for a moment until all of the sudden the ceiling changed hues and rain came suddenly, without warning. Lightning struck outside and a few moments later thunder sounded as well.

"I love a good thunderstorm. Perfect for Halloween," Harry said. The droopy bat hung down by Ron's head for a moment and he swatted at it and patted down his hair.

"Well, I'm hungry," said Ron, going at his plate full-force as it filled with food.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course," she murmured so only Neville, Ginny, and Harry could hear.

November passed without too much activity. The month was utterly dreary, as the weather insisted on raining at least once a week. For Ginny, morning sickness continued and trips to the lavatory were frequent. Besides the fact that she was pregnant, the month seemed to pass rather normally at Hogwarts; students were soon getting into the Christmas spirit as December approached. They were only a few days into the month when students began slacking off and becoming stir crazy. Hermione's annoyance was at an all time high, especially as she sat in the common room attempting to study while everyone around her chattered loudly and laughed obnoxiously.

"Goodness, it's only the 7th! Christmas isn't for a bit and we have our N.E.W.Ts to take in June! This is definitely not the year to be slacking off," she reprimanded Ron and Harry, who were playing a rousing game of Exploding Snap.

"Oh, lighten up, Hermione! Life isn't _just_ about working hard and getting places, it's about having fun as well! Christmas is _almost_ here, aren't you happy about that?" Ron grinned.

Hermione's nose wrinkled in anger, masking an inner conflict. "Don't tell _me_ to lighten up, Ronald Weasley. If you think-"

"Guys!" Ginny snapped. All three heads turned to the portrait-hole entrance. Ginny was looking menacing and holding her head. "I'm certainly not in the mood to hear a row. I've got a load of Intro to I.E. homework and a headache the size of Draco Malfoy's ego."

"You have Intro to what?" Ron asked in a befuddled sort of way.

Ginny sighed and dropped her bag in a chair near where Harry sat on the floor. "Introduction to Interpretations of Enchantments," she said in one breath. "It's much easier just to call it Intro to I.E."

"I wish I could have taken that class, it sounded so interesting, but Dumbledore strongly suggests that I don't take anymore classes. Of course, I know where that got me in 3rd year, so I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not, " Hermione said, knowing full well that she was rambling.

"What exactly do you do in that class?" Harry turned to Ginny.

"We study the origins of spells, why certain words are used, etc., etc.," she said, rolling out a piece of parchment next to a thick open book.

"It sounds boring to me," Ron muttered.

Ginny's glance caught the look on Hermione's face; she seemed to be attempting to hold back from saying something. Ginny thanked her with a smile for not starting anything and the girl sent a pained smile back. Ginny's eyes turned quizzical and she tilted her head and pursed her lips as if to say 'What's wrong?' but Hermione only sent an unsure shrug back, biting her lip. "Christmas," she mouthed back to Ginny.

"Oh, Hermione, I almost forgot," Ron mumbled as though he'd sensed her words from behind him and started fishing something out of his pocket. "Mum wanted me to give this to you," he said, handing her a somewhat crumpled envelope.

Hermione took it and opened it carefully. In a scrawl that was uniquely Mrs. Weasley's, the letter read:

"_Hermione, dear,_

_Given your current situation I wanted to let you know that you're very welcome to come and spend Christmas at the Burrow with us. I just thought you wouldn't want to spend Christmas alone at Hogwarts, unless you've already planned on staying with other relatives. I know you don't like being reminded of your parents' situation, but I thought it best to personally offer the invitation._

_Love,_

_Molly Weasley_"

Hermione's eyes sparkled. "Tell your mum I'd be happy to come, Ron," she said. Ron gave her a small smile and nodded. Maybe this Christmas won't be so bad after all, she thought, staring at the back of Ron's freckled neck.

Within the next week and a half the students packed with a flurry of excitement and were waiting at the Hogsmeade train station impatiently for the Hogwarts Express to arrive. Well, most of the students were impatient. Hermione Granger and Ginny Potter kept looking nervously behind their shoulders, the train was going to be there any second and neither Ron nor Harry was anywhere to be seen. They'd left off in the Great Hall; the boys had forgotten their homework and hadn't been too worried about it, but the girls had made them go back to fetch it.

"Where are-OW!" Hermione cried, bending down and rubbing her knee. Crookshanks was in his carrier and wasn't very happy about it, he was thrashing wildly around occasionally causing the corners of the box to hit Hermione's leg . "I don't know what's gotten into this Kneazle," she said to Ginny, eyeing the case.

Ginny gave her a meaningful look before recognition sprung into her eyes. "Oh good, here they come!" she said, pointing behind Hermione's shoulder to where two frantic boys were rushing towards them, their bags swinging every which way. Ron and Harry were panting as they stopped in front of the two girls.

"Had to-" pant, "-run around-" pant, "-half the castle," Ron said.

"Our room isn't _that_ far from the Gryffindor common room," Harry said after regaining his composure. Ron, however, was still looking dizzy and just about collapsed to the ground. Hermione set her things on the ground and grabbed a hold of his arm to steady him.

"Really, Ron, you think you'd be in better shape with all the Quidditch," she chided and Ron only laughed dryly.

"HERMIONE!" Ginny shrieked. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up and followed Ginny's pointing finger just in time to see Crookshanks sprinting away from them. Hermione was off in a second with Ron behind her.

"Gin, stay with the bags, love? You're in no condition to run, " Harry said in a rush, kissing her cheek and starting after them, calling that he could hear the train's whistle.

Ginny rolled her eyes, but stayed in place, rubbing her hands together in the cold and pulling her cloak tighter across her body.

Harry had a difficult time catching up to Ron and Hermione; they seemed to have disappeared into thin air. We don't have time for this! The train is already letting people on! his mind screamed as he looked back towards where he'd left his wife.

"Hermione! Ron! Where are you?!" he shouted. The snow that he hadn't noticed trickling down earlier seemed to be getting heavier and was beginning to drown out his voice. He surveyed the area and saw, unmistakably, that tell-tale Weasley red-hair. It was always Ron's dead give away. Harry made his way to where he now saw Ron and Hermione standing quietly in an alleyway. Crookshanks was there as well and he wove his way through Harry's legs, purring and rubbing against them.

"Guys, we have to..." he trailed off as his eyes met the ground and a cardboard box filled with six furry kittens. In the midst of the mewing animals lay a black cat, which appeared to be resting and allowing her litter to feed.

"Crookshanks, you've found a Kneazle like yourself?" Ron asked the animal, who shook his head "No" in a very intelligible way.

"Kneazles can interbreed with cats..." Hermione said softly and a bit distractedly before her head snapped up. "What do we do?" she asked, turning to Ron and Harry.

"There's only one thing _to_ do," Ron said matter-of-factly, putting his arms beneath the box and lifting it. "We'll take them with us to the Burrow; Mum'll know what to do from there. Now, we need to catch this train, don't we?" He strode out of the alleyway in a fast paced manner. Hermione's eyes filled with pride and admiration and she followed.

The three met a very exasperated Ginny just outside the train; she was talking to the conductor and begging a few more minutes. She had not looked very happy with them until she caught sight of the kittens and bubbled with joy over them. The train ride didn't seem long at all, the foursome played with the kittens most of the way. Two cats were black, like their mother, and three were orange like Crookshanks, and the last was black with orange spots. Ginny formed an almost instant attachment to the calico colored kitten. She'd even lovingly named her Leslie.

"I think it's a very elegant name, cats are so graceful and beautiful. Leslie fits her well," she'd explained.

Harry and Ron had attempted to name the other cats, but only seemed to come up with names like "Blackie" and "Little Chum." When Ginny and Hermione had made fun of their attempts, Ron had defended himself, saying that he'd never had a real opportunity to name his pets. Scabbers had been a hand-me-down and Ginny had named Pigwidgeon.

"I could do it if I set my mind to it!" he cried. With one swift movement he picked up an orange kitten and examined it from every angle. Ginny and Hermione seemed to be having a difficult time containing their giggles.

"Orion!" he proclaimed. The giggles stopped.

"Ron, I'm impressed," Hermione appraised. He rested his blue eyes on her brown ones for a moment and then smirked.

"Why, thank you!" he said, bowing as well as his sitting position would allow and setting the kitten back down with its mother. She hadn't been too happy about Ron's theft of her baby, especially since they were still rather immobile and their eyes were just barely opening.

When the train finally arrived, Molly Weasley rushed toward the four with hugs. She immediately began fussing with Ron's hair ("_Mu_-um!") until her eyes rested upon the small furry creature that Ginny held in her arms. Hermione had set the rest of the kittens and their mother on the floor in their box.

"Well, what's this?" she questioned.

"Crookshanks has gone off and started himself a family," Ron said, trying to suppress his grin.

"Has he now?" Her expression was unreadable, like she wasn't sure what she was being presented .

"W-we were hoping you'd think of something to do with them, " Ron volunteered.

"I'll say I know what to do with them!" she said with conviction as the four teenagers stood in quiet confusion.

"There's always more room at the Burrow!" Her face broke into a grin, like she'd known all along that they were second guessing themselves in bringing the kittens to her.

Christmas morning, although the six youths were supposedly mature, was an event of excitement and anticipation. Molly and Arthur had been practically dragged out of their bed by Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny while Hermione and Harry stood awkwardly outside the door trying to contain themselves. As comfortable as they were with the Weasley seniors, they weren't ones to run in and jump on their bed. Soon everyone was downstairs and there was quite a lot of ripping to be heard.

Now, however, everyone was sprawled out on furniture. They had, after all, gotten up at five a.m. and the present opening had taken a lot out of them. They were mostly quiet. Harry and Ginny lay out on the longest and widest couch, she within his arms. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even, but Harry just lay thinking contentedly.

Hermione sat in an armchair with her knees drawn up to her chest reading a book that she'd received. Typical as the situation was, the book was quite different from one that any Gryffindor or Slytherin alike had seen her reading. Ron had given her a book titled _Muggle Fairy Tales: Fact or Fiction_ which was met with a skeptical glance, but a thank you nonetheless. Ron had shrugged, saying that it looked interesting and that she was well over due from some _real_ light reading. A grin tugged at her lips as she remembered this now.

The twins had already retreated to their bedroom for some testing with new materials that they'd received and Ron was lying face down on the sofa that opposed the one where Harry and Ginny lay.

Molly walked into the room from the kitchen and, spoon in hand, put her hands on her hips.

"I don't know why you kids do this to yourselves every year. You _could_ just wait until later in the morning to open presents and then you wouldn't lose all your energy!" she chided with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a tradition, Mum, " came Ron's muffled reply.

"Yes, I'll be thanking Bill and Charlie for that," she said, but she still smirked.

Ginny's eyes opened softly and she spoke, surprising everyone who'd thought that she had been sleeping. "Remember that year when Bill and Charlie woke everyone up at two a.m. and forced us all downstairs because they couldn't wait to get what they were hoping was new Quidditch gear?" Ginny grinned.

"And then they opened a few presents, which were books, and there were none left for them! They looked so distressed." Ron cracked a grin.

Molly joined in, her eyes alight with glee as she remembered such a happy time. "And then Ginny, an adorable button of five, said 'Heard Sainty Nick making lots of noise outside last night.' And they scrambled to the door and there were two brooms floating and a couple more gifts on the ground. That was one of our best Christmases; your father had gotten a bonus that year." Molly grinned wistfully. "My Ginny was quite the adorable little girl. She always brought out the best in her brothers, " she said to Harry, who smirked while his wife blushed.

Molly sat down in a vacant armchair, discarding the spoon on a table. "One time Ron was sitting at the bottom of the stairs with an angry pout on his face, feeling sorry for himself because Bill was graduating and everyone was in a fuss and not paying a bit of attention to him. Ginny came over and said, 'Ron, how many freckles do you have?' and they set about trying to count them. I remember he was in a much better mood after that."

Ginny blushed harder. "_Mum_...." she said. Ron, too, was blushing. Their mother had always been a nostalgic one.

"No, go on. I like hearing the stories," Harry said, his smile warm and interested.

"Well, one time I was doing the dishes and Ginny came in and tugged at my skirt and said, 'Mummy, when you were born was there color or was everything black and white?'" Harry laughed right out and Ginny elbowed him playfully. Hermione was smirking behind her book and Ron, who'd heard all the stories many times, was snoring from the couch. Molly sighed contentedly and walked back into the kitchen, forgetting her spoon as her mind was filling with memories.

At the end of break Ginny just couldn't seem to leave Leslie, who had grown attached to her as well, and Hermione had told her that she could have Leslie as a second Christmas present. They'd been embraced in a hug just before midnight on New Year's Eve over the matter and when the countdown had ended Ginny'd turned to Harry with a kiss and Hermione, on instinct, turned to Ron. There had been a bit of embarrassed conversation before they decided that they could follow through with the tradition, because after all, they said, it was just that. They'd pecked on the lips and gone to bed with rosy cheeks. The next morning found them on the train bound back to normal life, if you could call it that.

"_Ha_rry," Ginny said, glancing up from the closet door where she was retrieving her uniform.

Harry groaned from the bed. "I don't want to go back to classes yet."

Ginny only stopped her rummaging through the wardrobe to raise an eyebrow pointedly at him. Relenting, Harry sat up and let his feet fall to the wooden floor below. Leslie stood on the bed and stretched before relaxing and pouncing off the bed and bounding over to where Ginny stood.

"You should have done your homework earlier so you could have gone to bed when I did. That's why you're so stressed and tired," she chided, pulling on her blouse and skirt. They were a little snug, even after the Enhancing Charm that she'd done a few weeks back, and she had to enhance them again so that they'd fit lightly around her stomach. Leslie was nuzzling her swelling ankles.

"_You're_ starting to sound like Hermione," Harry chided back, but got to his feet and joined her at the closet door. She shot a look at him and he set about looking for his own uniform.

"I've already gotten them out for you," Ginny said. She stopped fumbling with her tie to point to a chair where Harry's clothes were folded. Seeing the clothes, Harry's heart softened and he turned to her and gathered her up in his arms. Her own arms were at rather awkward positions, as she had been dressing and not paying attention, but they slid easily around his waist. Harry brought her head to his face and buried his nose in her hair, breathing in the refreshing scent, before turning her head to kiss her soundly.

When he pulled away, Harry had a goofy grin on his face. "I love you," he said through his smile, and strode to the chair and set about swapping shirts.

Ginny grinned to herself and pulled her enchanted robes on, her round little stomach disappearing behind the folds, leaving her looking as she had before she'd gotten pregnant. This was very handy for keeping too many questions from being asked.

When both were ready, they set out for the Gryffindor common room to meet up with Ron and Hermione. The two seemed a bit impatient when Harry and Ginny arrived. Their walk to the Great Hall was uneventful and when they finally got there they took their regular seats. Many students had already finished their breakfasts and were busily scrawling things on pieces of parchment. Forgotten homework was never a new thing.

"Ms. Granger," came Professor McGonagall's voice. Hermione looked behind her to see the woman standing with a rolled parchment in her hand and worn eyes.

"Yes?" Hermione asked.

"Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you. Come, follow me," she said, motioning for Hermione to get up.

Hermione did so, sending a shrug back towards her friends questioning gazes. She suspected it had something to do with her Head Girl duties.

Harry and Ron turned back to their food, expecting to see her in Potions later that day, for they had Divination first.

The strange thing was, though, that Hermione didn't show up in Potions. She didn't show up in any other classes they had later that day either. By the time that they were finally set free to the common room they were very worried indeed.

Ginny came walking down the stairs to the girl's dormitory, her eyes were red and she seemed fearful and very upset.

Harry and Ron glanced at each other, more worried than ever now.

"Ginny, are you all right?" Harry asked, taking her into his arms. She began to cry onto his shoulder and every time she made to speak, her voice seemed to have faltered.

"You better go check on Hermione yourself. I hope she's not sick. I'll stay here with Ginny," Harry said, smoothing her hair. Ginny's distressed eyes caught Ron's for a minute and she was nodding at him, telling him to go. Ron retrieved his broom and started up the stairs. When they'd found that the boys were unable to walk up the girls stairs, they had decided sometimes it was necessary to go up there anyway and so they had thought of using the broom. There would be no slipping on enchanted stairs anymore.

Ron shifted his weight and held to the broom with this left hand while he opened the Head Girl dorm at the top of the stairs with his right. Hermione was laying face down on her four poster bed, her arms dangling off either side. Muffled sobs were coming from where her face was smashed against her pillow. Ron got off his broom as fast as he was able to and threw it lightly to the corner, moving quickly to kneel beside her bed.

"Hermione!" Ron's eyes looked pained at the sight of her in such a depressed state. He put an arm on her back and she sniffed and looked at him.

"Ron?" she asked, her eyes blurring all vision. Her face was blank for a moment before she began crying harder than ever and launched herself into his arms.

"Sh, what's wrong?" he asked, a terrible frown on his face.

"My parents are dead!" she gushed, forcing her forehead to his shoulder and crying out more and more.

"That can't be... the Fidelius..." Ron murmured, shocked, and Hermione only continued crying. "Tell me _how_..." he asked gently.

Hermione looked up for a moment, she was now sitting on the floor, practically in his lap as she'd flung her arms around him in an attempt to gain some comfort. She gained enough composure and began. "It was New Year's … just yesterday... Dumbledore, of course, had told no one where my parents were... not even me!" She rubbed at her nose and then suddenly shut her eyes in pain, her hand finding its way over her mouth. She shook her head and continued. "Well, apparently my mum was very depressed at not being able to go out and see anyone. They couldn't contact anyone, see, or the charm would be broken. Well, Mum would cry herself to sleep every night and... I imagine she thought that her chances were good if she just... just..." Hermione was crying hard again, her body convulsing. Ron was still holding her, staring at her with as much sympathy as he could muster. Sniffing in again, Hermione continued. "She contacted my grandmum... they were together for only a couple of hours and Mum went home. She didn't know how wrong she'd been to do it... Oh, Ron, what am I going to do?" she cried. Ron only held her tighter, patting her back. His eyes were watery now as well. Ron had always liked Hermione's parents. Her mum was a bit quiet, but overall a very friendly woman, who had always been so nice to him and who had befriended his mother almost instantly when they'd met. Her father was a funny man; he was always cracking lame jokes and wriggled his eyebrows when he thought he was being ominous. All he could do was sit there and rock her while she cried heavily onto his shoulder.

Hermione didn't show very much emotion after the unfortunate passing of her parents, but she did not go back to being her old self. She seemed much too traumatized by all that had happened and seemingly became an empty shell of a person. Mostly she wandered around with blank eyes; she didn't take notes during lessons. It didn't matter though; she'd already taken notes for things months previous to the recent events. She just sat there all the time, she _must_ have been thinking but she didn't _seem_ to be thinking. She just always looked as if she was staring off into space and her friends didn't dare let her go anywhere by herself. She was always just running into things. Ron was always tugging at her elbow to pull her back on course or grabbing her shoulders to keep her from walking straight into another student. All this was not for lack of grieving, however. The Gryffindor girls would complain nearly every morning of a sort of wailing, moaning sound echoing through the stairwell late at night and they were mystified as to what the source was.

Weeks passed, and while life didn't necessarily go back to how it had been before, the time that had gone by had helped to give life some semblance of being normal.

Valentine's Day was in just two days and Ginny was feeling a bit neglected at the moment. Harry had buried himself in studying for his N.E.W.Ts in an attempt to rid his mind of the air of death that seemed to hang over them. He was paying less and less attention to his wife, turning up in the dorm late at night after she'd already gone to bed and assigning early Quidditch practices every morning to get ready for their upcoming game against Ravenclaw. Ginny couldn't help but feel like Harry was avoiding her, and she was so disconcerted by this fact that it only seemed to deepen this chasm in her heart that had begun growing when she was only eleven years old.

On Valentine's Day nothing spectacular happened. Harry seemed to have forgotten about it. Ginny had stormed into the library in a rage, much to Madam Pince's chagrin ("Well, I never!"), and stomped over to where Harry was slumped over books.

"I don't know what your problem is, Harry Potter, but I'm becoming very upset with you!" she cried. Harry winced noticeably and looked around. Madam Pince was looking menacingly towards the redhead.

"Ginny..." he said with a pained expression.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I didn't say anything when you decided to burden yourself with so much work. I thought you were just distracting yourself, but Harry, it's hurting me, too! I'd have thought you'd done at least something on Valentine's Day." With that she stormed out of the library with Harry trying to catch up with her.

In their dormitory the fight only continued. "I didn't think you really cared about Valentine's Day; it's just a silly holiday," he said, still stunned by the amount of fury he'd just witnessed.

She looked shocked. "It may be a silly holiday, but after these past few weeks it was my only hope of getting at least a little bit of attention from you... Harry... you just don't know me at all, do you?" Her face looked terrified, as though she'd just realized something vital. "No, you don't know me at all!" tears were streaming down her cheeks and she fled their room. Harry was much too drained to follow her and he sunk to the floor on his knees.

When Harry entered the common room a couple of hours later he saw Hermione sitting on the couch staring off into space with Ron kneeling on the floor in front of her, leaning over the coffee table seemingly peering at a parchment.

"Hermione, you haven't finished your essay have you?" he asked her. Her eyes lingered on something on the ceiling before she slowly looked down at him.

"Hm? What was that, Ron?" she asked.

"I said you haven't done your essay. Do you want some help?" It was something that Ron was asking to help Hermione with homework. All he wanted was for her to go back to how she'd been... that insufferable know-it-all that he really _really_ loved deep down. He knew that when she finally decided she needed to get on with her life, she would regret throwing all her hard work and planning to the wind; right now her Head Girl title might even be in jeopardy.

"Hey, guys?" Harry asked. Ron looked up and gave a half smile and a wave.

"Have you seen Ginny?" he asked. An unreadable look came across Ron's face.

"She came bounding in here a couple of hours ago. She looked upset; I think she said she was going to the Quidditch pitch to think." Harry nodded and turned on his heel, making his way to his room to retrieve something and then out to the pitch.

Sure enough, Ginny was sitting in the stands. Her coat was wrapped tightly around her, as it was February and still quite cold. Harry walked behind her and wrapped her in the blanket he'd brought from their room. She looked up, feeling guilty at having yelled at him. "Hi," she said in a small voice.

"Hey." He plopped down beside her. "You don't think I love you, do you?" he asked.

"Oh, Harry, I'm just scared. Sometimes I think you..." she rolled her eyes at her own awkward behavior. "It just seems like I'm only one of your many priorities and nothing special. Like... you took this on because of the prophecy... because it goes with _being_ Harry Potter and you didn't think twice really about how you were really feeling about me, even if you didn't know me that well, and well...." She was rambling on, twisting the edge of the blanket around her fingers. She turned to face him, her eyes solemn. "I know we've known each other for so long, but do you really know me, Harry?" she asked biting her lip.

Harry was quite a moment. "I...." He began, feeling awkward himself. Not knowing anything else to do, he pulled the flowers that he'd been concealing from his cloak. These were not the droopy apologetic flowers, nor were they the typical Valentine's roses. Clenched in Harry's hand were six brilliantly yellow daffodils, not showing the slightest bit of wilting.

Ginny's mouth opened slightly and she closed it in utter amazement. "Did Hermione tell you..." she started and Harry only shook his head.

"Well... I..." he smiled sheepishly. "Back before second, that is _my_ second, year I saw you propped on your knees in the back garden leaning over a patch of daffodils. At the time I thought it was charming, at that point it was not one of those things that pervaded my thoughts. Then in third year you brought me that get well card that sang so high... it almost gives me a headache thinking about it." Ginny looked down at her hands, smiling slightly, and Harry laughed. "I remember distinctly that you had drawn a daffodil on the front. At the Yule Ball you had one behind your ear, they were on your bedside table in the hospital wing after the Department of Mysteries, you were doodling them on your paper when I was trying to help you with Muggle Studies last year, you had them at our wedding..." Harry seemed exasperated.

Ginny stared at him wide eyed as he continued. "You think that I don't know you, Gin? I don't just learn things about you from what you tell me, I learn from what you do as well. There are about a million other little things like that that I've just... noticed." Ginny looked like she could cry and that's exactly what she did. She looked at her hands again and sobbed.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you," she said. Harry only replied by scooting closer to her and squeezing her shoulders against him.

"I'm sorry that you've felt bad. Things will probably only get more rocky from here on out, but I'll try and let you know that I care as often as I can." He kissed her forehead and reached a hand across to rest on her abdomen. The gesture put them both at peace and they sat contentedly for nearly another half an hour before deciding it was getting much too cold.

One month later, Harry and Ron stood over a sleeping Hermione. "She just sleeps in all her spare time now, Harry," Ron said. Harry nodded, looking at the sleeping girl who was lying on the couch.

"She looks a lot more at peace when she's sleeping. Her face, I mean," Harry said. It was mid-day and the seventh year students had a free period after lunch.

"She's got to move on. She only does her homework when I make her. When **I** make her, can you believe that? McGonagall has been hinting about Head..." Ron was cut off by a flurry of excitement near the portrait hole.

"Hello, laddies!" Seamus Finnigan came bounding over to the boys, but all they saw as he crossed the floor to stand next to them was a blur of green. Harry and Ron glanced at one another.

"Laddies?" Harry questioned the same time Ron had asked, "What are you _wearing_, Seamus?"

"It's March 17th... Saint Patrick's Day, a day for all things Irish!" He replied jovially, to which Harry and Ron smirked at one another. "I love this holiday," he continued, "Me mam always sends me loads of cookies. Would you two like to come up and have a few? I haven't really talked to you in a while, Harry, what with you moving out and all." He raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, Lavender refuses to come anywhere near me when I'm dressed like this, so my company is sparse today as it is."

"I'm going to stay with Hermione, but you go on ahead," Ron replied. Harry nodded and followed Seamus up into the boy's dormitory where he found at least five boxes that were filled to the brim with cookies.

Meanwhile, in the common room Ron sat down on the few inches of spare room on the couch next to Hermione's stomach. His face held a troubled expression. She was on her side with her left hand cradling her head and her right forearm dangling over the couch. Ron's movement didn't seem to wake her in the slightest; she'd become a very deep sleeper over the past three months.

A thought, or even somewhat of a memory, sprang into Ron's mind and it stunned him. Glancing around the common room, though, he blushed visibly to see that they were all alone just as they had been one day in the Hospital Wing one day during the Basilisk attacks. A million worries filled his mind and he began to sweat, but his curiosity won out and he leaned down to kiss the sleeping girl soundly on the lips. He felt a flutter on his cheek and glanced at her shocked brown eyes. He stood abruptly, looking nervous. Hermione got to her feet as well, though much more slowly than Ron had. She wasn't looking at him, but off to the side and seemed to be contemplating, an array of emotions fleeting across her face. She finally faced him, her mouth tight, and he knew instantly that she was angry with him.

Her eyes looked dark as she spoke. "Are you trying to play on my emotions?" she asked rather loudly, looking confused.

"Look, Hermione, I'm pretty sure you know..." he began, but she just looked pained and clamped her hands over her ears.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she screamed, bolting towards him and hitting him on the chest ferociously and as hard as she could.

He was shocked and grabbed her upper arms in an attempt to calm her, but she just continued beating with her little fists, until she was limp and crying and beating with much less force.

Ron was utterly befuddled. "All this because of one little kiss?" he asked.

Through her tears she shot him a glare. "You can't just _do_ things like that, you great prat!" she yelled.

His arms hung loosely around her back now, one hand unconsciously patting her.

"I don't need anymore heartache-"

"But I love you, Hermione," he said, his eyes filling with worry.

"-and I don't need that. I'm trying to grieve," she finished.

"So you're not making any attempts at feeling better?" he asked.

Her eyes watered again. "If I just went back to how I used to be... just _forgot_ about them, wouldn't you think that I was cold hearted?"

"Well, you'll obviously never be the same... but this can't take over your life."

"It won't. I should just grieve for a little while." She looked away from him.

"They wouldn't want that, Hermione!" he said. "They'd want you to be happy... It's okay to be sad about this; it is a very sad thing... but don't let it control your life. Look at Harry, well maybe that's not the best example, but Harry is often upset about what happened to his parents, but he still moves on with his life. He knows that he needs to be here because he's important to the fate of our world. He laughs and worries about stupid things like any other teenager though and..."

"And his parents died sixteen _years_ ago, Ron!" she cut him off.

"Time is not what is important, because no matter how long ago it was that your parents died, it will always be sad and your life will always be different. Your parents would be upset knowing that you were forcing yourself not to be happy on their behalf. They would want you to be happy."

Hermione just stared at him and then hugged him hard. "I'm so confused as to what I want, Ron," she said, her cheek smashed against his chest.

"Can I do anything to help you?" he asked sincerely.

He was answered with heavy breathing.

"Sh, here they come!" Harry whispered to Ginny at breakfast two weeks later, sitting on his post and having her do the same.

Ron and Hermione had walked into the Great Hall looking subdued, with Ron holding her hand lightly. They sat down across from Harry and Ginny as they'd done for so long.

"Has the post come, Harry?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, mate. We just got here..." he said, and watched as Ron nodded and began eating his porridge. Suddenly, the bottom half of Ron's face had become the snout of a horse.

Harry and Ginny were laughing hard and Hermione was smiling slightly, but Ron looked visibly angry.

"Post has come. A present from Fred and George for April Fool's , " Ginny said, her eyes twinkling.

Ron's eyes were menacing and he tried to show his annoyance by sighing, but his horse lips sputtered and Harry and Ginny doubled over with laughter while Hermione had a hand over her mouth. A small giggling sound could be heard occasionally, but she was trying to keep it as quiet as she could.

Ron's nose was back to its normal state the next second and he was glaring at them, challenging them to say something.

From that point forward it seemed a lot easier for all of them to laugh, easier than it had been in months, in fact, and they were all feeling much more like themselves. Hermione had gotten back to doing her Head Girl duties responsibly and her homework was once again being completed a week in advance, depending on when it was assigned. She was not completely back to normal, but she was making an effort to get there—Ron's support was helping.

Easter break arrived and Luna and Hermione surprised Ginny with a small baby shower one day. Her mother, Tonks, and her two sisters-in-law (Penny and Fleur) had Flooed in. Even Professor McGonagall came, giving Ginny a stuffed animal that would change to different animals at the squeeze of its stomach.

Her mother gave her the same cradle that Ginny had slept in as a baby. Ginny had actually been the only baby to sleep in this cradle and it was adorned with pink bows, a curved hood, and a long satin skirt.

Penny, Fleur, and Tonks (who was dating Charlie Weasley) brought an array of baby clothes, from cute little shirts and pants to a bed time body suit with the words "Gryffindor Lions: Quidditch" on the front, and "7" on the back. Later Harry grinned at the outfit, looking proud ("Seven is _my_ number!").

Hermione, the ever-logical one, gave bottles, binkies, and diapers and Luna gave a book of wizarding nursery rhymes. Ginny was feeling especially loved by the surprise and seemed to walk on air for a few days, until Harry started having late Quidditch practices again in preparation for the final game against Slytherin next month.

Ginny hated how bratty it seemed, but her emotions were so up and down these days and she wasn't doing a good job of controlling them. It didn't help that every time she took off her robes she felt incredibly ugly and fat.

One night she was sulking, taking a walk through the castle and holding onto a dead daffodil that she'd saved from when Harry gave them to her. Up ahead she saw Draco Malfoy coming her way, but he hadn't seen her yet, and she didn't want a confrontation with him so she ducked into the classroom to her right. She pressed her back against the door and sighed.

Of course the whole school didn't know that Harry and Ginny were married, but they knew they were at least officially together and Draco had found immense pleasure in cornering her when she was alone and making her feel trashy and dirty. In the state she was in right now, she didn't want to deal with him at all, no matter how good she was at standing up for herself when he picked on her.

She peeked out the door, but Draco seemed to have stopped, having met up with Pansy Parkinson. It didn't look as though they would be moving any time soon. Ginny winced in revulsion at the sight of the two hormonal teenagers and sat on the floor. As she stared across the room something caught her eye. There was a long mirror standing up in the corner and she stood and moved across to see it. At first she saw herself looking worn and miserable, but the image soon changed. Her face matured and her stomach flattened, she looked older and her dress changed to what she had worn on her wedding day. A man, Harry, materialized next to her and a bundle of white cloth appeared in Ginny's arms. They were smiling down at the bundle and Ginny realized it must be their child. She touched the mirror and her mirror-self held the baby with one arm and reflected what she'd just done at the same time. She recognized it as the Mirror of Erised; she had read about it when skimming one of the books in the library. She stared at the image for a few more minutes before she peered out the door again and saw that Draco and Pansy had left. She walked quietly down the hall, feeling significantly better.

There was an air of excitement in the Great Hall one sunny Saturday morning. The final Quidditch match of the season would be later that day and some students were even placing bets on whether Slytherin or Gryffindor would win. Ginny was excited as well, the team had played well this year and the probability that they would come out the victors was greater than anything expected from Slytherin.

Ginny tried not to feel a little bitter at her absence, but such emotions were hard to push from her heart. Nevertheless, she made an attempt to be cheerful and happy for the team.

Just one more month, Ginny thought restlessly as she walked with Harry to the Gryffindor changing room.

He was strangely quiet and Ginny knew it was on her behalf. She looked out the window to the clear spring day, feeling a bit annoyed that Harry seemed to be tiptoeing around the issue so as not to upset her. She wanted to mount her broom and join the team, but she was a big girl and could take disappointment.

Dumbledore passed them in the corridor and winked. Ginny grinned at him and nudged Harry to acknowledge the Headmaster. He smiled and continued walking, nearly tripping over Ella Marriott, who seemed to have dropped an armful of equipment.

"Sorry, Ella," he said, bending down to help her with the load. "Why isn't this in the locker room?" he asked.

"I-I was practicing last night and forgot to bring them back here, " she said, looking green and completely unhappy.

"Ella," Ginny said. The plaits in Ella's hair swished as she looked up to see Ginny.

"Oh, I didn't even see you there, Ginny, " she smiled sheepishly. "Of course, I didn't notice much of my surroundings until Harry came along."

"That's all right," Ginny said, offering a hand to help her off the ground. When their palms met, a jet of blue light shocked them. Ginny heard an "Ow!" and staggered back, squeezing her eyes shut as her bum hit the floor.

"Ginny! Are you all right?!" she heard Harry asking.

"Fine," she muttered, opening her eyes and taking in her surroundings. Hadn't she just been facing the opposite direction?

Her mind reeled at the next sight. She saw herself, a crumpled heap on the floor. Harry was bending over her in a panic. Looking down, she noticed two brown plaits resting on each of her shoulders.

She was just thinking about how strange and long her toes and fingers felt when Dumbledore rushed to them. "She probably just got a bit over-excited, she'll be fine," he said.

"Bu-," Harry began.

"You have a match to win, Harry. She will be fine," Dumbledore reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder. He glanced towards the bewildered girl in the corner. "You as well, Miss Marriott. I suppose you know what you must do." He winked. "_Mobilicorpus!"_ he proclaimed and Ginny's body was in the air.

Harry stared after them for a moment, a strained look on his face. " All right then, Ella. Shall we get this to the changing room?" he asked. She nodded picking up her share of the load and followed him silently to the room.

Had Dumbledore just done that? Was he trying to say that he wanted her to play? Why would he do that? A million questions invaded her mind and they were on the pitch before she even realized it.

The whistle screeched and she jumped before grasping where she was and flying off to join the game.

It was a delight to fly again. She breathed deeply and was rewarded with a bruise on her arm. She'd been moving rather slowly, not helping her fellow Chasers, and a Slytherin Beater had taken his opportunity. Embarrassed at having been caught not paying attention, her ears turned red even in this body.

The Quaffle was being thrown back and forth just above her and she sped up and caught it, redeeming herself for the earlier foolishness. She dove out of the way of two oncoming Slytherin Chasers and threw the ball to Lara, who made the first ten points for Gryffindor.

Though she had gotten back into the swing of things, it was obvious that Slytherin had been practicing hard. It was lucky for her that she and the other Chasers were experts at keeping hold of the ball the way the Slytherin Chasers were swooping and hovering around them.

Ginny glanced briefly to Harry and Draco Malfoy, who were neck and neck, speeding around the ring. She caught sight of the scoreboard **-**they were tied- then turned back to Harry, who was being pushed rather violently by Draco. As they sped up, Draco kicked the end of Harry's broom and it faltered for a moment. He began to drop, but stretched his arm as far as it could reach and felt the flutter of wings on his fingertips. He kicked his broom again and it bounced upward, forcing the little ball into Harry's hand. Draco smashed into Harry a millisecond later and then set Harry with the deadliest glare he could muster.

Three fourths of the crowd roared in praise while the rest screamed obscenities. When all landed, Ginny was tired and sweaty. This body felt extremely weary and began tingling as the crowds ran to surround them. She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them, she was sitting up in a bed in the hospital wing, a large mound just ahead of her beneath the blanket. She sighed in exhilaration of the game, but wiggled her toes and thought of how good it felt to be home.

"I feel like my brain is about to explode!" Harry proclaimed, grasping his head tightly with both hands. For nearly two weeks Harry had been cramming and taking test after test for his N.E.W.Ts.

Ginny had to walk down the hills outside Hogwarts slightly faster than was comfortable to keep up with him. "Just be thankful that you've finished them," she said, grasping his arm in an attempt to slow down.

"But I can't help but worry now that they're over... What if I did terribly? What if no one will hire me?" Not only was he walking much too fast for Ginny's liking, but his words came out in such a slur that they were barely discernible.

"Harry, slow down! This walk was suppose to help clear your mind," Ginny said. They were standing in the roadway up to the castle, which suddenly seemed quite far away. Harry, finally getting a grip, noticed this as well.

"Wow, I didn't realize how far we had walked," he said.

"Yes, well you haven't noticed much for the past half an hour," Ginny heaved, sitting herself on the ground.

"Oh!" He crouched down beside her. "Ginny, I'm sorry. I forgot... well, I had so much on my mind and the robes... well, I'm a git is what I'm trying to say," he stumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"It's all right, Harry. Help me up, would you? It's starting to get dark; we should head back." She held her arms out to him, but as Harry went to pull her up, her face contorted strangely.

"Ooh, that didn't feel very good," she said.

"What? What's wrong?" Harry asked in a panic.

"Uhh, I think I've gone into labor, Harry," Ginny said, clenching her hands into fists and squeezing her eyes shut. "Yep, pain ten times worse and cramps I've had... and there goes my water..."

"W-what do I do? Uh, uh... we've got to get back up to the castle," Harry said, pacing.

"You think that I'm walking up that hill like this?" she screeched.

"Well, I can't leave you like this, Gin..." He glanced at the Hogwarts gates only a few feet away. "Here, let's just get you through the gates and then we can figure something out." He helped her up and supported her as she walked slowly through the big metal gates and sat her back down on the other side. "We can't Floo... no fireplace... can't make a Portkey... my broom would be no good even if I had it..." Harry was muttering.

"Just call the Knight Bus, Harry, for goodness sake!" she screamed.

"Right, right. Good plan. Okay." He pulled his wand from his pocket and held it out, the wrong end pointing upward. Harry quickly righted the wand and held it out.

BANG! The Knight Bus appeared right in front of them on the dusty path.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emerge-" began Stan Shunpike's familiar voice.

"No time, let us on!" Harry cried, interrupting him.

"'Choo got to go an' be so rude abou', anyway?" He seemed thoroughly affronted before catching sight of Ginny lying on the ground clutching her stomach. "Woss wrong with 'er?" he asked, his eyes widening and his voice softening.

Harry reached down, unclasped her robe, and threw it to the side.

"Help me carry her on, would you, Stan?" Harry gestured to her stomach and Stan was off the bus and carrying her legs the next second. They placed Ginny on the nearest bed and she squirmed a bit.

"Where you gonna take 'er?" Stan asked.

"St. Mungo's," Harry said quickly.

"But that's for-"

"Just go!" Harry interrupted him again.

"Take 'er away, Ern, fast!" Stan said, sitting down in his armchair.

"Choo do that to her for?" Stand asked.

"Do what?" Harry asked from her bedside.

"Do what? 'elp 'er into the Puddin' Club, thas what!" Stan looked disapprovingly at Harry.

"I didn't help her into the Pudding Club!" Harry protested, angered by the accusation of impregnating a girl on accident.

Stan gave a skeptical look and gestured to her. " Then 'oo did?"

"Well, I..." Harry blushed furiously. "Well, it's none of your business, but it was no accident."

Stan's eyebrows raised even higher. "We're married!" Harry defended, but Stan only nodded his head as though he didn't believe Harry. Harry and Stan didn't speak for the rest of the ride, but Ginny's groans and crying kept the bus far from quiet.

When they reached Purge and Dowse, Ltd., the front for St. Mungo's, Harry reached into his pocket.

"Don' worry 'bout it, fer 'er sake." Stan waved a hand and helped Harry with Ginny down the stairs. When Harry glanced back, his arms supporting Ginny, the Knight Bus was gone.

Author's Note: Yep. How many months has it been? I'm so sorry. Life took over! And so did writers block. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out much sooner. This was the longest of the three. Let's all just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. (I applaud those of you who caught that pun.)


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